I love simulation racing games, in fact it’s probably my go to genre, but lately they’ve failed in every category possible. While they are true to the profession in the terms of physics, graphics, and atmosphere. However, they are boring as all get out. They lack the significant key to a great game. Some of you probably are saying “No joke, it’s a stupid racing game”, however racing games can be a defining moment for a console.

Console Sells Correlation to Racing Title Success

Look at the Playstation One. Gran Turismo was the title that separated it from the Nintendo and Sega consoles. It was such an in-depth racing title that we had yet to see, and it moved consoles. Fast forward to the PS3, and the same title that defined it’s generation is also defining this one. Except, it’s not such a positive definition. The PS3 to many has been a system filled with promise and direction, but has failed to deliver on many pages. GT5 also was a title full of promise, but failed to deliver. Polyphony Digital secured the rights to NASCAR, yet they failed to do anything significant with it. They obtained the rights to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but didn’t feature the reason it’s famous. Why is it that the IndyCar Series wasn’t included? Not sure if it’s licensing, but I’m sure they could have put it or something like it in the title.

GT5 is also a game that completely lacks identity. Is it a driving game, or is it a simulation racer? To be honest, I’d have to say it’s more of a driving simulator. That’s not really fun is it? Most people hate driving, I otherwise enjoy it but not as much as I do racing.

Let me not just pick on GT5, I’d also like to take a second to pick on the titles like Simraceway, rfactor, and the Race On Series of games. These games are fantastic simulators of racing, but they aren’t fun to drive. This is why the opinion I have is that Simulation Racers lack personality. I love games like Need for Speed Shift and other titles like Burnout. They are a blast, they are fun to play and they are and enjoyable driving game.

You’re Doing it Right!

These games aren’t just fun, but they are also games that have such an amazing atmosphere. Burnout Paradise was Paradise City, Paradise City was Burnout. You take away one of the elements of that and you get nothing. The game would fail miserably, however, the atmosphere combined with the gameplay was a success. Sure, Burnout could work anywhere, but if you put it in a generic place with no name or attitude and you’d get a generic game.

Let’s look at Forza, and all the Forza titles fall into this, but Forza kind of pulls it off. Truth is, Forza has an identity and a personality. It’s a car game, and it’s a game about driving exotic and powerful cars. The atmosphere is the car, the beauty of the car, and how you make your car more powerful than your competitors. You can also edit your car to personalize it so that it’s your’s. Your own paint scheme or vinyls, your own parts, and your own setup. This is where Forza defines itself, and it’s the reason it’s the best selling racing franchise this generation.

You’re Doing it Wrong!

Earlier I mentioned how racing simulators fail miserably on personality. They don’t have a specific one, they feature many identities. Let’s look at rFactor. It’s one of the top selling simulators on the market, however it’s had little share due to it’s genre and lack of mainstream appeal. I stumbled upon rFactor in the fall of 2008 and fell in love with it, shortly after I made the decision to buy it. At the time it was one of the best purchases I ever made, however, I shortly began to realize it’s lack of personality. Sure you can race any car there is a mod for on any track that’s ever been modded for it. However, most of the physics and desirable things are missing due to the lack of consistency in modding. This is annoying because you can never quite figure out a racing style or in my case a specific wheel setup. Sure, tracks and cars handle differently in life, however there’s a significant change in overall handling and physics between mods. The mainstream crowd doesn’t want this, that’s why these titles don’t work well.

Also, take a look at a game like iRacing. (I know I shouldn’t call it a game, but it technically is). The game is solely online, there’s no offline racing mode only testing. It’s not kind to the first time racer as people crash, spin, and drive like maniacs in online rookie level races. However, it does reward people who are willing to work at it. My levels of racing should be a lot higher as long as I’ve been subscribed to it, however I get annoyed way too easily with crappy drivers and leave. Plus they continually update their driving mechanics to offset the big guys and continue to add a challenge. Again, mainstream audiences don’t attract to this as they want to enjoy what they do, not be beat into the dirt over and over.

Again, it’s not about the challenge, it’s about the personality. iRacing is another title like rFactor that is about racing, but other than that there isn’t a lot of customization. Sure you can change your paint schemes and number or setup the car to your liking, but there’s nothing else about it that has mainstream appeal. I admit my Raptr account shows these titles at the top of the “Hours Played” chart, but that’s not due to fun, that’s due to the work they need to become an average racer.

Why The Sim-Crowd Needs to Appreciate the Arcade Crowd

Go to any sim-racing forum or website and you’ll constantly see sim-racers complaining about “so-called” sim racing titles. These titles include Codemasters F1 titles and Need for Speed Shift. You’d also see the newer Ferrari Racing Legends listed in this spot, however that game has a lot of issues in it (look for a review on Backlogged Gaming soon). These games have personality, atmosphere, and flavor in them.

F1 tries to emulate the Formula One paddock, and while it struggles in some areas, it actually makes you feel like you’re battling for the F1 Title. Every team has a chassis that handles differently, and each team has different development paths as well as expectations for you. Certain teams don’t care if you struggle to finish at the top as long as you’re showing improvement. Other teams will quickly get upset if you finish to gain points. This all adds to the personality and immersion.

Need for Speed Shift doesn’t have as much in the terms of replication, however they do make the game tough and enjoyable. Each car handles slightly different and every track has a different driving style. Add to this the mini-objectives that each track and race has and you’ll see an identity. Not a lot of games offer these multiple levels of objectives or challenges. I often find myself replaying a race so that I can master a corner or beat a lap-time. This is a new level that simulators lack, and is something they should try and replicate. However, the sim-crowd often complains the instant these are included.

Will it Ever Change?

While the simulator crowd continues to grow, there’s a chance that full-on simulators will never strive in the marketplace. They can be extremely challenging, but with the challenge comes amazing rewards. Running quick laps at times similar to the real life times is an exciting moment and one that many gamers could enjoy. However, the lack of customizing the game really kills it’s appeal.

I hope it changes as many simulators offer some of the best driving mechanics around, however blurring the line between simulator and arcade is essential. I love the F1 titles, and I think they blend the line wonderfully. I believe this line blurring is essential if titles like iRacing want to survive in the next generation, and truthfully these titles need to move to the consoles to also survive. Trust me, the PC is the best medium for simulators, but the biggest market share will come from the consoles.

Just don’t do like SimBin did with Race Pro. I like that game, but there’s no personality in it. It’s just a racing game and one that is tough. It’s not that fun or entertaining. I like it, but most people laugh at it and call it a joke of a game. That’s where these developers fail, they don’t game it up enough. That’s what has to change because these developers offer a wonderful experience, they just don’t make it very appealing. Like I said about GT5, don’t make “Driving Simulators” make “Racing Games”. This is the only way the genre will grow as will console success.

It’s the time of year again that we settle in and get ready for the cold weather with a slew of new video games. While many sites are already covering the big titles coming down the pipe (think Borderlands 2, Halo 4, Black Ops 2) I’ll focus on one title that I look forward to each year. That game is Codemasters newest edition of their F1 title, F1 2012. While F1 2011 did little to distance itself from it’s predecessor F1 2010, F1 2012 looks to set a new standard for Formula 1 racing. With new additions to the title such as the Young Drivers Test, Season Challenge mode, Champions Mode, and a localized dynamic weather engine this year’s title looks to impress.

Demo Impressions

During my time with the demo this afternoon I was able to give a go at a couple of the new modes. When you first start up the demo you’ll be placed in the Young Drivers test driving a McLaren. You start off with some basic tests to check you’re driving controls. This is followed by a few short on-track tests and videos showing you the in’s and out’s of Formula 1. This game mode is designed for new racers to get a feel for the game as well as determine what kind of driving aids and difficulty levels they’ll use. It’s also a very interesting way for you to test the new driving physics as I’ve noticed some slight upgrades.

After completing my test, I was thrown into the new Season Challenge Mode as the driver of the #19 Williams F1 car. I was able to choose a rival for my race, and if I successfully completed the goal of beating my rival I was rewarded a contract with their team after the race. I’m not sure if this is the case in the real game, but I would imagine there are incentives for beating your rival over and over again. Also featured in the demo was a Hot Lap video of Monza. The video was incredibly detailed and was like what they show before a race broadcast on TV. The commentator (which is the voice of Anthony Davidson I believe) described key elements to capturing a fast lap at the circuit with keys such as brake points, the proper driving line through a chicane, and even suggestions as for when to apply the KERS and DRS.

I mentioned earlier there were some new tweaks to the physics engine that I noticed. I’m very familiar with the previous physics as I’ve played the last three Codemasters’ F1 titles on the Wii, PSP, PS3, Xbox, and PC (I’m a bit of an F1 game fanatic). The new tweaks aren’t huge but add to the realism. Things such as a car drifting left or right depending on the camber of the road and car setup aren’t huge but increase the immersion a lot. I also noticed the car felt a lot stickier than last years title. This was noticed most as I was going through the Parabolica at full throttle and the DRS activated. In 2011 the back end would get really loose and I’d have to ease off the throttle, but in this years demo I kept it flat out. This is a little more friendly to the novice driver, and should help increase the overall entertainment value to the average racer.

Final Thoughts

I like everything Codemasters has done with this year’s title, and my time with the demo made me even more excited to pick this one up. The only thing I wish that was available was a quick race on the Circuit of the Americas with the new localized weather engine turned on. Showing off a clear weather race at Monza did little to show the upgrades to the game itself, however the car models do feel larger and more realistic than previous years. Currently the demo is available on Xbox, and will come to the PS3 tomorrow (US), Thursday (UK Ps3), and to the PC later this week.

Madden is more than a game to many. Even it’s release day has previously been known as a fake holiday. But to many gamer’s it’s the one game that never changes. It’s always being poked at as a $60 roster update. Even the hardcore crowd complains that the game lacks vision and change and that EA often leaves the game unfinished and unpolished. Can EA finally change that mindset with Madden 13? Or will the series continue to run the route of the recent years and bring an overpriced update to a mediocre football sim?

If anything, we can quickly answer the first question. That answer is no. Madden 13 does little to change the mindset that EA Tiburon only slightly updates the game, however for the first time in many years Madden feels different. With the new additions of Connected Careers, Infinity Engine, and updated Madden Ultimate Team, the game feels new and refreshing. However, under the glossy new shine the same Madden exists. Traditional franchise mode is gone, at least in the traditional sense. Now to play a franchise you must start a Connected Careers as a coach. You can choose one of the current coaches (Minus Sean Payton and Bill Belichick), create one, or even choose from a Hall of Fame Coach. Once you’ve created your coach you have the freedom to run the team how you wan to, just don’t expect to start a fantasy team with the popular Fantasy Draft option. That’s right, EA has left out the Fantasy Draft option this year and that’s something I just don’t understand. I’ve always been a huge fan of fantasy draft’s on sports games. It seems like any sports game I play I use a draft option if it’s available. It’s in EA’s NHL, NBA 2k, and it was previously in NBA Live. It’s been in every Madden this generation since 2008 and was previously in the game since the mid-2000’s. Arguably it’s the biggest thing missing from this years installment. I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around the reasoning behind it. It adds so much potential replay value to the title. Imagine you’ve played Madden for roughly 100 plus hours, you’ve completed 10+ years of Connected Careers and now you’re a team full of no-name draft picks. What if you could start the mode all over, but this time you could draft your own team with a designated plan created by yourself. Maybe you’ll draft all young guys and rookies, or maybe you want a team full of veterans wanting to win now, or you just want to draft your favorite players at each position? You could do that, it’s something I’ve done every year and it added an incredible amount of replay value to the game. It’s a shame it’s missing, but I won’t knock the game completely for this.

Madden 13 is trying to be a new game. The addition of the Infinity Engine is a sign that EA feels like Madden needs to move forward. Sure, the Infinity Engine suffers from the fact that it was built for FIFA and the constant collisions cause the engine to create some interesting, and sometimes funny, moments on the field. Arms and legs bend behind player’s backs, bodies fly and flex as if what hit them was able to break them in half. Yet, sometimes the engine works perfectly and you’ll see players bounce and collide realistically. This adds a whole new element to Madden, and is a welcome addition to the title.

Another new addition is something that can also be seen in this year’s NCAA title. A new “Read-and-React” logic system is in place for defensive players. No longer do Linebackers warp across the field on a pass or leap 20 feet in the air to pick off the ball (it still can happen just not as often). Defensive backs respond to routes. The fade finally works and is one of my go-to plays near the end zone. Also seen is the shading out of passing icon’s until the player is expecting the ball. This is a cool addition, as you’ll realize throwing the ball too early often leads to mistakes or missed opportunities. The passing game is finally fun again, but can be the death of a team if used too often. Running and blocking has changed very little, and it’s a shame that the one last legacy issue still exists.

Connected Careers

Connected Careers is arguably the biggest addition to this years title. It combines online Franchise, Franchise, and Superstar Mode into one unique package that creates some amazing value. You have two game styles to choose from, either play as a player or as a coach. You can play either online or offline. Online allows you to play with friends as well as use the updated tuner sets (according to a recent EA blog). Offline allows you to play at your pace, so you can move forward when you want to. The mode is refreshing, fun, and finally makes the superstar mode of old exciting.

So far I’ve played as a QB for the Denver Broncos. And no, I didn’t choose a current player or Hall of Famer, I decided to make my own player. Backing up Peyton Manning isn’t a lot of fun, but after choosing the back story of being a “Late Round Draft Pick” the future could be interesting if I make big strides.

I haven’t spent a lot of time playing Connected Careers, but the mode pretty much seems as it is, and I look forward to spending a majority of my time with Madden 13 playing this mode.

Ultimate Team

Ultimate Team is a mode I slowly started to fall in love with last year. I didn’t spend much time with it, but what time I did spend I realized it needed a lot of work. It was tough to find the proper collection for all of your cards, the head-to-head mode was broken and suffered from multiple disconnects. So far this years installment has improved as each card lists which collection the card is part of, and the collection system seems to be much improved and shortened as it loads faster and choosing different collections is much faster.

Also new to this years Ultimate Team “Single Player Challenges”. This mode has already been seen in both FIFA and NHL and is a welcome addition to the Madden franchise. The addition allows players to play each team’s preseason and regular season schedule, as well as against Hall of Fame coaches. Winning games gives you credit bonuses, as well as free card parks and Special Cards. Some games take up contracts, while other games won’t, just simply check the game details before you start the challenge to see if it’s a contract game or not.

Presentation Package

One of the most important parts of a sports game is it’s presentation. For the past few years Madden has been known to have some of the worst commentary in a game. Gus Johnson was obnoxious and over excited, Tom Hammond was boring and monotone. Not since the game featured John Madden himself with Pat Summerall has the game felt authentic. That commentating crew felt like a Sunday afternoon of the NFL on FOX, even the presentation overlays at times reminded me of FOX’s. This years package is very detailed and similar to that of CBS. The combination of Simms and Nance is one of the best we’ve seen in awhile. It also reminds me very much of an authentic Sunday afternoon NFL broadcast and is something Madden has been desperately needing for a long time now.

Final Thoughts

Madden 13 is a solid game in the franchise, and it’s the first time this generation that the game feels improved. I like the new Infinity Engine, as will most of you, but it needs a lot of work. The new Connected Career modes are interesting and add a new element to the traditional career modes. This is the first time I’ve enjoyed Madden since 2008’s edition. It’s just a shame that my favorite parts are missing. Player edits are missing, you can’t fantasy draft, and the overall package feels slimmed down. The addition of Kinect does little to improve the overall quality as the game often misses what you’re saying. I hope that the staff at EA continues to improve this package, as the commentary feels better but still stale at times, the presentation package is the best I’ve seen since the last generation of consoles. I really want Madden to continue to move forward, but it’s going to take a lot of work. I’ve giving Madden 13 an 8.8 out of 10.